Broadcasting

TRO For Paramount Merger?

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Article in The Wrap by Lucas Manfredi, 7/17/26

Headline:   “Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger: Judge Will Rule on Temporary Restraining Order by Wednesday”

Subhead:  “State AGs argued the $110 billion deal would give the combined company more leverage over movie theaters and cable distributors, increase consumer prices and reduce content output”

_”Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín will decide on whether to issue a temporary restraining order against the pending $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger by July 22.

The update comes after lawyers for a group of 12 state attorneys general, Paramount and WBD made their arguments during a Friday court hearing.

The state AGs sued to blocked the merger on Monday, arguing it would create an entertainment giant. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/public-policy-legal/paramount-warner-bros-temporary-restraining-order-decision-deadline/

To Cover Crazy or Not?

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Article in The Hill by Sophie Brams, 7/17/26

Headline:  “Carville criticizes CNN, ABC, NBC for not airing Trump speech”

“Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville on Friday criticized major television networks for not airing President Trump’s speech on election security the previous night, saying that it was a mistake for CNN, NBC and ABC not to provide ‘blanket coverage’ of what he sees as the president’s deteriorating mental state.

“ ‘I think the president of the United States acting loonier than a tune is newsworthy,’ Carville told CNN host Wolf Blitzer during an appearance on the network. ‘I don’t think we should have hidden that from the American people.”. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5975040-carville-trump-speech-network-coverage/

Paramount Prevalent Peril

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Article in The Guardian by Jeremy Barr, 7/17/26

Headline:  ” ‘Laws were broken’: multistate effort to stop Paramount’s $111bn merger heads to court”

Subhead:  “Attorneys general from 12 states are suing to block the Paramount-Warner Bros deal they say violates antitrust law”

“A last-ditch effort to block the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is heading to court as 12 Democratic state attorneys general attempt to stop the $111bn deal they say violates antitrust law and reduces competition in both the film and cable television industries.

“The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, faces a crucial hearing on Friday to determine if a judge will temporarily pause the deal or allow it to continue toward approval. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jul/17/paramount-warner-bros-merger

More Media Agglomeration?

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Article in CNN Business by Brian Stelter, 7/15/26\

Headline: “FCC moves to deliver long-sought win for Trump-aligned broadcasters”

“The Federal Communications Commission is changing its rules so that local TV station owners can get much, much bigger. . .”

“Carr announced on Wednesday that the FCC will vote next month to repeal its national broadcast ownership rule, which prohibits a single company from reaching more than 39% of US TV households.

Read the full article at:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/15/media/fcc-carr-trump-broadcasters-sinclair-nexstar

FCC Hobby, Getting Gifts?

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Article in AlterNet by Corey G. Johnson – ProPublica, 7/15/26

Headline:  “Busted: Paramount gave FCC officials gifts while seeking approval for billion-dollar dea

“The rich and famous who filed into the Kennedy Center’s opera house in December. . .”

“Federal Communications Commissioner Olivia Trusty cast a decisive vote approving Paramount’s historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. Now, the commissioner and a guest enjoyed the star-studded celebration thanks to tickets gifted to her by Paramount worth more than $12,000. . .

“The other commissioner who approved the merger watched from a prized perch. FCC Chair Brendan Carr and his wife sat in a private skybox with Paramount CEO David Ellison and other executives from Paramount and CBS. Such seats sold for $125,000 a ticket, according to Kennedy Center guidelines. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.alternet.org/fcc-paramount/

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Article in Daily Kos by Lisa Needham, 7/15/26

Headline:  “Trump’s FCC cronies get in on the sweet bribe action”

“Why should President Donald Trump have all the fun of extorting money from people with business before the government? How ‘bout letting the folks in charge of the Federal Communications Commission get a taste, hmmm?

“ProPublica broke the news that both FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty and FCC Chair Brendan Carr got a little treat. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/15/800070473/news/trumps-fcc-cronies-get-in-on-the-sweet-bribe-action/

To Air or Not to air? That is the question

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Article in Mediaite by Michael Luciano, 7/14/26

Headline:  “AOC Says News Stations Have ‘Ethical Obligation’ Not To Air Trump’s Speech About Election ‘Lies’”

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said it is incumbent upon television news stations not to air a speech by President Donald Trump set for Thursday.

On Monday, Trump announced in vague fashion on Truth Social that he will deliver an address at 9 p.m. on Thursday, and did not elaborate as to its contents. Reporting indicates that the president will rehash his false claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/aoc-says-news-stations-have-ethical-obligation-not-to-air-trumps-speech-about-election-lies/

Making TV Propaganda Arm?

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Article in NPR’s ‘On The Media’ by Staff, 7/10/26

Headline: “The FCC’s Pressure Campaign to Reshape Broadcast TV”

“ABC has enlisted the help of its audience to defend The View and Jimmy Kimmel against attacks from the Federal Communications Commission. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the MAGA movement trying to shift television to the right. Plus, the legal theory that the FCC is using to put pressure on the networks. . . Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with  Jim Rutenberg, writer-at-large for the New York Times. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538775/on-the-media

 

Ellison’s Merger Off the Rails?

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Article in Status by Oliver Darcy, 7/13/26

Headline:  “Ellison’s California Nightmare” as it and 11 other states sue to block it on antitrust grounds. . .”

“David Ellison may have been California dreamin’ about getting his Warners deal cleared by the Golden State – but he’s now facing a nightmare. . .”

Read the article at:

https://www.status.news/p/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-merger-states-lawsuit-rob-bonta

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Article in Free Press by Staff, 7/13/26

Headline:   “State Attorneys General Sue to Stop Paramount Skydance’s Corrupt Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery”

Subhead:  “Free Press hails state-led effort to defend consumer choice and journalism against a billionaire push to censor and control  media “

“On Monday, 12 state attorneys general launched an antitrust suit to block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. . .”

“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.freepress.net/index%2ephp/news/state-attorneys-general-sue-stop-paramount-skydances-corrupt-takeover-warner-bros-discovery

. . .From the Frying Pan. . .

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Article in Poynter by Tom Jones, 7/10/26

Headline: “Opinion | What’s going to happen to CNN?”

Subhead:  “The pending Paramount merger has fueled questions about CNN’s leadership, editorial autonomy and whether politics will shape its future”

“Paramount owns CBS, which oversees CBS News. Will it be left alone after the merger? Will it fall under the umbrella of CBS News? If so, will CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss become the big boss, taking over CNN along with her CBS News duties? Will decisions at CNN be driven at all by politics, considering Paramount CEO David Ellison (and his father Larry) are allies of President Donald Trump?. . .”

Read the full article at:

After Jail, go on Media Tour?

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Article in Media Matters by John Knefel, 7/10/26

Headline:  “Tina Peters’ right-wing media tour: Endless conspiracy theories about voter fraud and boasts about advising Trump on how to fix it”

Subhead:  “Peters’ complaints, including about ‘foreign agents,’ appear to be linked to a broader plot to subvert the midterms by manufacturing a pretext for Trump to declare a national emergency and seize control of voting systems”

“Following her release from prison last month, former Colorado election official Tina Peters has hit the ground running with more than 17 appearances in right-wing media. During her media tour, Peters has spread numerous conspiracy theories about supposed voter fraud and foreign interference in elections. . .”

Read the full article at:

https://www.mediamatters.org/voter-fraud-and-suppression/tina-peters-right-wing-media-tour-endless-conspiracy-theories-about